{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=2035", "Appeasing Our Enemies Makes America Less Safe and the World More Dangerous", "2014-12-18", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, yesterday evening spoke with CNN\u2019s Wolf Blitzer regarding the release of Alan Gross and the President\u2019s announcement to change U.S. policy with Cuba, specifically plans to lift the United States\u2019 economic embargo on the communist nation.  \u00a0   Regarding the failure of the Obama-Clinton-Kerry foreign policy:  \u00a0  \u201cThis action today continues a long pattern. It is the latest manifestation of the failures of the Obama-Clinton-Kerry foreign policy. What we\u2019ve seen for six years is we\u2019ve consistently been abandoning our friends and allies and at the same time appeasing and coddling our enemies.\u00a0 First it was Russia, then it was Iran, today its Cuba. That only makes America and the world more dangerous. This was a mistake. This is throwing an economic lifeline to the Castros at a moment when their regime was vulnerable and it was a serious mistake.\u201d  \u00a0  Regarding the danger of appeasing Cuba and the Castro regime:  \u00a0  \u201cThe Castro regime is an avowed enemy of America. They are allies of North Korea, of Iran, of Venezuela. In fact they were just caught recently doing an arms deal with North Korea and the idea that we would strengthen a regime that is a state sponsor of terrorism that is exporting communism throughout Latin America, and is working to undermine America, that only undermines our national security interest.\u201d  \u00a0  \u201cThe relationship with Cuba, the Castros have demonstrated, manifest hostility and antagonism to America and it was striking watching President Obama's remarks today. He talked about the Bay of Pigs invasion and yet he utterly omitted the Cuban Missile Crisis, one of the greatest threats to our national security in modern times that almost resulted in nuclear weapons right on our shore and watching President Obama and John Kerry, it was yet again blaming America first. The condition of the relationship between Cuba and America is the direct result of the oppressive communist dictatorship that has demonstrated manifest hostility to the United States.\u201d  \u00a0  Regarding the administration\u2019s flawed negotiation tactics:  \u00a0  \u201cAll of us celebrate the release of Alan Gross. He has been wrongfully and unjustly imprisoned and mistreated and I've called repeatedly for his release\u2026 But you know, just like the Obama Administration's ill-advised deal concerning Bowe Bergdahl, where they released five senior Taliban terrorists, in this instance the Obama Administration released three Cuban spies who were guilty of murdering four U.S. Citizens, guilty of spying of Southern Command, on U.S. military installations, and that undermines our national security. We should be negotiating from a position of strength and the consistent failing of this Administration is that it believes the way to deal with dictators and tyrants is through appeasement. I think weakness is provocative and I believe in peace through strength. That's far more effective at protecting our country.\u201d  \u00a0  Regarding the Senate\u2019s ability to prevent lifting of economic sanctions on Cuba:  \u00a0  \u201cIt\u2019s not clear at this point where the votes will be, but I expect in the Senate to see a far more vigorous voice defending our national security interests and I am hopeful that we will prevent a bad deal and a bad decision. The point I was making on this, there\u2019s a reason why I expect to see bi-partisan cooperation to rein this in. In 2009, the appeasement of Putin didn\u2019t work and Putin invaded Ukraine a sovereign nation.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=2035"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9643958657979965, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}